Bilco's Bodgements #5

[Bilco]

I've reopened the Bodgeneerium for the 2021 session with another 7mmNG/0-16.6 loco idea. I spent the Christmas/New Year down-time looking for the next victim, and found some French locotracteurs that are centre-cab, rod-coupled diesels built on the frames and wheels of redundant steam locos. They are generally 0-6-0 , with at least one 0-8-0, and there are several designs running on the metre-gauge.



In my stash of discarded bits I have these two ...






... left over from the Heywood Ursulike builds, so I found a few prototype dimensions - mainly length - and a square-on side view photo, and made a rough drawing using the hoods of the two bodies to get the proportions. I think I'll take bits of the various types that appeal to come up with a composite body ...



I found a suitable chassis on eBay - "non-runner, spares or repair" ...







Spot the deliberate mistake? The wire from the pick-ups is attached to the chassis. When I removed it and attached it to the near brush of the motor it ran - rather roughly, but it's a runner. So it was stripped down and cleaned, the coupling rods were straightened, the big sticky-up lump at the front was hacked off, couplings removed, and PTFE grease applied all round. The motor's coil has some 5mm slop - the gear is well forward on the shaft - so I found a spare -04 motor in the stash, cleaned the commutator and fitted new brushes ...







... and ended up with this. When power was applied it ran, and gradually got freer running after about 10 seconds, so I reckon I have the chassis ready. Now the bodies are marinating in an undiluted Dettol bath ready for surgery ...



Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

Now I've started on the bodywork yet ...








I cut the cabs off the two bodies to produce the length I wanted, and cut off the boxes at the sides. Then I sanded down all the detail roughly (when have I ever not sanded roughly?) and filled in the holes where the boxes were. The radiator is also sanded off the front of one of the bodies - the radiator-with will be the motor end and the radiator-less will be the other. I'll apply doors to the sides and non-rad end in due course, which should hide the remains of the originals ...







I've also built a footplate from 2mm styrene sheet. I liked the dropped centre-section sideframes that one of the prototypes has, so included that. The raised sections on top of the footplate rest on the chassis top, and also locate the two hoods ...







The bits resting together. Some filling and sanding still to do ...



Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

After a week of fiddling about with those annoying little bits of styrene the two hoods have had a coat of grey primer ...





Some doors on each, slightly different, with hinges and knobs. There is still a bit of fettling and filling to do on the tops of the hoods - the little holes where the metal ladders attached are strangely resistant to filling - but I think it's getting there ...

The footplate has also had a primer coat - still drying - so work on the cab section is in the offing ...

Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

Things are progressing, if very slowly ...





The bits now propped together. The footplate in primer - I'm awaiting a delivery of spray paints to move that along - the hoods/bonnets (delete as applicable) in Railmatch LNER Doncaster Green, and the cab under construction. Still some filling and fettling to do on the cab, but the pic shows how it all comes together, looking vaguely locotracteur-ish ...


Cutting the little steps in the sideplates of the footplate was an interesting exercise - 2mm styrene takes some cutting - but they seem to be a characteristic of the locotracteur. I cut the windows of the cab using those stamps I bought on eBay - they take a bit of force to get through 1mm styrene and there is a bit of distortion along the way, but after cleaning up the resulting holes the effect seems about right ...


Work to do on the cab ...


Hours of fun ...

[Bilco]

One thing worse than watching paint dry is waiting for the order of paint to be delivered - and then waiting for the weather to improve to the point where you can go out the the garage and spray the paint once it finally gets delivered ...

So, a little more progress to report for the last 12 days waiting ...





The various sub-assemblies are just propped together for now, but we're getting closer to what it should finally look like. Still a bit of fettling, paint touch-ups, and final detailing to do before the glue comes out to fix it all in place ...

Hours of fun ...

[chris stockdale]

Hi Bill,

That's an impressive beast.

Cheers,